Abstract

A 32 year Libyan male presented with the complaints of headache and diplopia. He was diagnosed with a cavernous sinus meningioma on the basis of MRI findings but no initial biopsy was taken. Depending on the radiologic diagnosis the patient was treated with gamma knife surgery twice, abroad. During follow up he developed left ear deafness and left cervical lymph adenopathy. An ENT evaluation with biopsy from the nasopharynx and cervical lymph node was taken. The histopathologic diagnosis of the resected tumour showed a nasopharyngeal carcinoma with cervical lymph node metastasis (poorly differentiated lympho-epithelial carcinoma). The cavernous sinus tumour which was initially treated as a meningioma was in fact metastasis from the nasopharyngeal carcinoma, making this an interesting and rare occurrence.

Authors

Moona MS, Mehdi I

Institution

Department of Medical Oncology, African Oncology Institute Sabratha, Libya.

Source

JPMA. The Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association 61:12 2011 Dec pg 1235-6

MeSH

Adult
Cavernous Sinus
Diagnostic Errors
Humans
Male
Meningeal Neoplasms
Meningioma
Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms

Pub Type(s)

Case Reports
Journal Article

Language

eng

PubMed ID

22355975